Netflix executive talks about content, carriage deals

Netflix is riding high. It has recovered from what seemed like a death sentence (the uproar over its decision to separate streaming services from physical disc rentals) to a favorable stock outlook, based in no small part to its new original content, which has generated a lot of buzz.

Ted Sarandos, Netflix chief content officer, bragged about those originals recently, adding that the company does not worry about carriage fee problems like other networks do. He also added that the company will be more selective in its future content licenses.

That's a business that fortunately we don't have to participate in (carriage deals)," he said, specifically talking about ESPN charging more for content than USA, although USA consistently has higher ratings. "The pay TV industry is kind of out of whack."

This news comes days after it was announced that Netflix would not be extending all of its deals with Viacom, letting some content expire and be removed from the streaming giant.

"Our appetite for non-exclusive content is going to near-zero," Sarandos said. "We are willing to pay more on an exclusive basis." Does that mean that shows on Hulu or Amazon Prime will all be leaving Netflix? Sure seems like it.

The company will be increasing its original content, Sarandos said. It has had sucess with Lilyhammer, House of Cards and the critically-panned Hemlock Grove, and will be adding Sense8 and Turbo: F.A.S.T. soon, as well as the next season of Arrested Development.